On the west side of the Neponset Reservoir lies system of trails. From the second parking area past the Learning Center and adjacent park is the beginning of the “Storybook Trail”. This trail, short in itself, is a good trail for young children venturing out into the woods. Following this trail there are several posts with a page from a children’s book. There are over 20 pages to read following the trail counter-clockwise. After passing two pillars and following the trail downhill, the Storybook Trail turns to the left. Take a break from the story for a moment and continue straight passing a shed like structure along the reservoir. Turn to the left after the structure. There are two dead end trails to follow here that each lead to points with sweeping views of the reservoir. From here retrace your steps back past the structure and turn right back onto the Storybook Trail. This stretch is also part of the 33 mile Warner Trail. Continue to follow the posts. Soon you will turn left, stay to the left when you reach a grassy area with an abandoned garage. The trail continues back into the woods. At the next intersection turn right and retrace your steps back to the parking area. Keep in mind that the parking lots are closed here when there are events at nearby Gillette Stadium.

Patriot Place… known for Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots, and the sprawling complex of stores around it. Tucked away behind the Bass Pro Shop is a nature trail. The trail is short and easy to walk. This is a good trail for all ages as it is relatively flat. As soon as you enter the trailhead, you descend slightly downhill and away from the bustle of Patriot Place. The trail is a loop consisting partly of a boardwalk over wetlands, an active cranberry bog, and a wooded area. You will catch a glimpse of several birds here including ducks. The bog is usually harvested in the fall. This is a great little walk if you are in the area shopping, dining, or looking for some pre-game activities. (Go Patriots!!)

F. Gilbert Hills State Forest straddles the Wrentham/Foxboro line and has miles and miles of trails. Today I was joined by a fellow hiker and we explored the west side of the property. We started from a parking area on Thurston Street in Wrentham just west of the town line. We passed the gate and started heading up the Megley Trail which is a stone covered access road that slowly winds uphill. We came across a few watering holes. Most were dry due to the lack of rain this year. One, however, still had quite a bit of water in it and several lily pads. We also came across some very large rock outcrops along the way. At the end of the Megley Trail we turned left onto High Rock Road for a bit then turned right onto Messenger Road. We soon could see a shelter in the woods. We turned onto a narrow trail that led to the shelter. At the shelter we turned left onto the white dot blazed Warner Trail. The Warner Trail is a 33 mile trail that runs from Diamond Hill in Cumberland to Canton. We then followed the Warner Trail to High Rock. At the top of High Rock there is the remains of a survey disk. From High Rock we made our way down some stairs to the road. There is a a very tall radio tower here. We turned left onto the road toward the gate. Just to the right of the gate the white dot blazed Warner Trail continues. This section of the hike meanders through areas of rather impressive ledges. We continued following the Warner Trail until we reached the blue blazed Acorn Trail. Here we turned left following the trail that is mostly downhill and rather rocky. At the end of the Acorn Trail we turned right back onto the Megley Trail and retraced our steps back to the parking area. We came across a chipmunk and some dragonflies on this hike.

The Upper Dam Pond in Foxboro is surrounded by a town forest that has a series of trails cutting through it. Starting from a cul-de-sac at the end of Forest Road we made our way into the forest for our third hike of the day. There are two trails that lead from the cul-de-sac. We took the one to the right that is gated and labeled “Fire Road”. The trail quickly comes to an intersection to the right. We continued straight until we came to a trail to the right that leads to the shore of the pond. After exploring the shores edge for a bit, we continued on the main trail bearing right at the next intersection. This section is part of the Warner Trail (a trail that runs from Cumberland to Canton). We followed this trail crossing a very active spring brook (as we had plenty of rain the last two days) and ignoring a trail that spurred off to the left. Ahead we came to a sign for the Warner Trail. Here we turned right and followed the ridge of an old dam. To the left was a marshy area and to the right was the pond. We came across turtles hear. After crossing the next bridge we followed the trail bearing to the right as it slowly climbed uphill before returning to the entrance trail. Here we turned left to go back to the car. This is area is also used for off road bicycling.